Lubricator coupling



Feb, 7, 1933. F. L SCOTT 1,896,250

` LUBRIGATOR COUPLING Filed oct. 19, 1928 BY @Mm A TTOIeA/.Ey

Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOYD L. SCOTT, OFHOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO HUGHES TOOL COMPANY, F HOUSTONLTEXAS, ACORPORATION OF TEXAS LUBRICATOR COUPLING- Application led Octoberv 19,1928.

My invention relates to couplings such as are employed in attaching alubricator barrel to the head of a drill bit, adapted for use in deepwell drilling. It is particularly designed for use with drills having aremovable water course longitudinally of the head of the drill. In welldrilling it is necessary to provide a passage for flushing fluiddownwardly through the drill-stem, and drill so that the cuttings fromthe drill may be washed away from the drill and be carried upwardlyoutside the drill stem to the surface. Powerful pumps are now employedfor forcing the flushing fluid into the well for this purpose and as theflushing fluid contains mud and abrasive materials, it is found that thepassages for the fluid through the head of the drill are Subj ect torapid wear. A removable 2C and replaceable watercourse mayv therefore,be placed longitudinally .of the head of the drill, so that when wearoccurs, the watercourse may be removed and replaced by another' onewithout the loss of the drill head. This removable watercourse is shownin the patent Yto H. lV. Fletcher, No. 1,482,787, granted February 5th,1924. But, the removable water tube in the prior patent is threaded andscrewed directly into the coupling member, the channels in the couplingbeing inclined downwardly to converge at the upper end of the tube andthe threaded seat in which is secured. This structure has the obj ectionthat the flushing fluid is given a turbulence by the converging channelsin the coupling, at the upper end of the tube and its seat, so thatrapid wear occurs at the upper end of the tube. The material in thecoupling to which the tube is secured, wears away rap- 0 idly so thatthe tube becomes loosened and develops leaks and the coupling or cage4must be replaced nearly as Voften as the tube.

' It is an object of my invention to so secure the flushing tube to thecage that the attaching connection will be protected from wear.

It is also desired to form the passage for the flushing fluid in thecage so that the flow may be open and the passage large toavoid wear atthe upper end of the tube, and par- Serial No. 313,392.

ticularly at the tube to the cage.

In the drawing, Fig. l isa central longitudinal section through a welldrill, showing my invention employed thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of the lubricator cagewith the tube therein.

point of attachment of the Fig. 1 shows a common type of Well drill, i

having a head 1- with cutters 2 rotatable on the lower end thereof. Theupper end of the head 1 has a threaded shank 3 for attachment 11 and 12to direct the lubricant to the cutter bearings.

The cage alsoserves to direct the fluid from the interior of the drillstem, to the removable watercourse 13 in the head. Said 'watercoursevisa tube of steel or other metal connected with the coupling or cage atits upper end and extending axially of the drill head to discharge waterand flushing fluid to the lower end of the hole. The upper end of thetubes has a head 14 thereon which is secured by welding or .otherwiserigidly to the tube. This head `llis threaded on its exterior to engagewithin the threaded recess 7 in thel cageabove the nipple 8 of the drillhead.

The tube extends through the head 14 thereon to project through theupper end yof the recess 7 into adiametrical passage 15 in the cage. Theupper end of the tube forms a tightfit with the cage above the recess 7and its end is flush with. the lower wall of the passage 15, which, asseen from Fig. 2, has a flat lower side. I make the passage 15comparatively large so that as free a low as possible may be obtainedfor the flushinguid. I

It will be obvious that the threadedseat 7 and the shoulder 16 at the upr end of the head 14 of the tube make a uid seal that cannot be easilyworn. The lushin fluid entering the passage 15 will pass direct y into 5the upper end o the tube and such wear as occurs due to turbulence ofthe mud-laden liquid will take place at the extreme upper end of thetube, and in the passage I5 away from the threaded connection of thehead 14. It will, therefore, take wear for a ma terially long period oftime before the threaded connection between the tube andthe cage willbecome materially worn so as to allow leakage or to loosen the tube. Itis this attachment of the tube to the cage that forms the main object ofthe invention, and I have found that with this arrangement,`the life ofthe cage is greatly increased.

'What I claim as new is:

1. In a rotary drill bit, a drill head, a lubricator barrel, a tube forushing liquid axially of said head, a coupling member connecting saidlubricatordbarrel to said head, said coupling having a threaded recessin its lower end to engage said head, and a head on said tube shaped tofit said recess above said drill head, an extending upper end on saidtube projecting above the head thereon, said copp ing having adiametrical assage 80 arrang at a right angle to the tu axis andcommunicating -with the upper end of said tube.

v 2. In arotary drill bit, a drill head, a lubricator barrel above saidhead, a removable 85 flushing tube axially of said head, a couplingmember connecting said' lubricator barrel to said head, said couplinghaving a threaded g recess in its lower end to engage said drill head, adiametrical fluidpassage through A 40 Vsaid coupling, said tubeextending through said recess to connect with said passage, said passagehaving a flattened lower surface flush with the upper end of said tube,and means in said recess to" engage said tube.

3. In combination, a lubrcator cage for rotary well drills, said cagehaving a threadednipple at its upper end for attachment to thelubricator barrel, and a threaded recess in its lower end for attachmentto the drill head, said cage'having a diametrical passage above saidrecess, a tube extending througli said recess and into said passage, anda ead on said tube removably engaging said recess at a point spacedbelow said pas-v n testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature this9th day of October A. D. 1928.

' FLOYD L. SCOTT.

